ACC's Top 25: No. 8 - Durand Scott, Miami

Can three games make a season? Probably not, but no player received more praise after last year’s ACC tournament than Durand Scott.

The Hurricanes point guard did have a solid three-game tournament. He averaged over 14 points per game, five rebounds, and four assists. In a losing effort against Duke in the semifinals, he hit 10-of-15 from the floor (finishing with 21 points).

Yet, if you were paying attention at all last season, these numbers shouldn’t surprise you. Scott was one of the few bright spots for a Miami team that lost 11 out of their last 14 in the regular season.

As a freshman, Scott was the team’s floor leader from day one. On top of being one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the ACC last year, Scott averaged 10.3 per game, pulling down four rebounds and dishing out 3.4 assists.

While his size, length, and athleticism are what most people talked about, he proved to be a smart basketball player as well last year. His 1.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio was tops for freshman in the ACC. Also, when it came time to score, the kid was able to recognize when he was hot. Eleven times last year he took 10 or more shots. Seven times he shot 50 percent or better in those games.

Heading into season two, Scott is on the verge of becoming a star in this conference. At 6'4", with quick feet and a knack for getting into the lane (more so with his right) and getting up and over the rim, he’s looking like a poor man’s Dwyane Wade

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